Stop the press: old newspaper lacks lead letters

MARY ALEXANDER10 Apr 2014, 4 a.m.

THE heavy old printing presses have been restored and the volunteers are ready.

Stop the press: old newspaper lacks lead letters

The Examiner newspaper office at Flagstaff Hill is open again after a devastating fire — but volunteer printer Graeme McIvor still needs to replace hundreds of melted lead typeset letters and printing blocks.

He said the lead typeset had melted in the fire so a call went out to replace it last year.

The Mallee Heritage Centre in Pinaroo, South Australia, donated a “ute load” which was excess to requirements at its letter-press printing museum and there were several other smaller donations. But Mr Abbott said the Examiner office was still restricted in what it could produce.

“We’re looking for complete sets of different typesets,” he said.

“Then we can wind it up again.

“They used to do lots of printing for other shops around the village and posters and things.”